WWUTT 883 He Was a Murderer from the Beginning?

Jesus said that the devil is a murderer. He speaks lies because there is no truth in him.

My friends, lies kill people, but the truth saves people when we understand the text.

This is When We Understand The Text, a daily study in the Word of God that we may be conformed to the image of Christ.

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Here once again is Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky. We're back to our study of John 8 verses 39 through 47 again today.

The apostle John wrote, the people answered Jesus, Abraham is our father.

And Jesus said to them, if you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did.

But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.

This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did. They said to him, we were not born of sexual immorality.

We have one father, even God. Jesus said to them, if God were your father, you would love me for I came from God and I am here.

I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what

I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father, the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires.

He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.

When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin?

If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God.

The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God. So where we stopped yesterday was where Jesus made the statement to them, if you were of your father, you would love me.

For I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.

Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.

You are of your father, the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. And as I brought this to a close yesterday,

I said that I fear for the person who hates the word of God, who will turn away from it, who will not listen to it.

Now, typically that would apply to a person who doesn't use his word at all and will not listen to you use his word.

But this also applies to people who misuse his word. And then when you go to them and you say that's not what that verse means, like they'll separate verses out and make them pithy little quotes or fun little

Proverbs, your happy verse of the day sort of a thing. Or maybe they will even twist the meaning and the intention altogether to give approval of sin and permission to do it, which is even more frightening.

And when you go to that person and you try to correct them on the way that they're misusing or misapplying the scriptures and they will not listen to you, no, that's not what that means.

No, you're taking it out of context. And that that is another one of those instances where they cannot bear to hear the word of God.

Jesus said, verse 43, why do you not understand what I say?

It's not that they don't want to have anything to do with God's word at all. Like you're looking out for false teachers who are not going to quote

God's word. On the contrary, the majority of false teachers are quoting God's word, but they do so incorrectly.

They twist the scriptures to their own destruction. That's what Peter said in second Peter, chapter three, verse 16.

He talked about how Paul's letters had some weighty things in them that are difficult to understand, and the unstable will twist them to their own destruction like they do the other scriptures.

So Peter was saying there are those who are going to take Paul's words and they're going to twist them. And they do this with all the other scriptures as well.

Old Testament words of Christ, what the other apostles have taught. These men are deceived in their spirits.

Why they do this is because they do not understand the word of God. They do not have the spirit of God to understand these things.

Remember what Paul said in first Corinthians, chapter two, the natural person does not accept the things of the spirit of God for they are folly to him.

And he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one for who has understood the mind of the

Lord so as to instruct him. But we have the mind of Christ. So whenever somebody comes along taking that verse, verse 16, who has understood the mind of the

Lord so as to instruct him when someone comes along and says, no, that's not what that verse means.

This is actually what it means. And their reinterpretation of it is totally out of context, completely different than what the text is actually saying.

You think that you might think that they're arguing with you, but when it comes down to it, they're arguing with God who has understood the mind of the

Lord so as to instruct him. It's as though they're going, God, that's not what you meant. This is actually what you meant.

And they they show that they do not have the spirit of God because they cannot understand spiritual things.

We who are in Christ, who have been given his spirit, have the mind of Christ. And so we must understand how to use the scriptures correctly.

We must be disciplined in this. Remember that Ephesians chapter six refers to the word of God as the sword of the spirit.

When we're talking about the the armor of God that we put on, the weapon that we are armed with is

God's word. The Bible referred to as the sword of the spirit. OK, so if the Bible is metaphorically referred to here as a weapon, do you just hand a person a weapon and then send them off to battle without any training or preparation and how to use that weapon whatsoever?

How to take it apart, how to clean it, how to put it back together when it malfunctions, what you do, which which part of the weapon are you supposed to point at the bad guy?

You know, have you taught this person how to properly use his weapon?

And if the Bible is to be understood that way, that we're destroying strongholds with the word of God, as Paul put it in second

Corinthians chapter 10, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey

Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete.

That second Corinthians chapter 10 I was reading there from about verse four to verse six.

So this is the weapon of our warfare, the word of God. We're properly equipped with it.

And our battle, as Paul said in Ephesians six, is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, rulers and authorities.

There is not earthly rulers and authorities, but those who rule in a spiritual realm. The battle that we are fighting, again, is not against flesh and blood.

Even when we're talking about correcting somebody else who is in error, we're still doing spiritual warfare there.

And you have to understand that your conflict is not with that person that you're talking with.

It's rather the snare that they've been caught in. I mentioned this yesterday in my closing prayer.

I quoted from second Timothy chapter two, where Paul told Timothy that the

Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, able to teach patiently enduring evil, correcting opponents with gentleness.

God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth. And they may come to their senses and escape from a snare of the devil after being captured by him to do his will.

And so we must understand speaking in gentleness, because the ability to shout a person down or yell or talk louder than they're talking is not what's going to win their heart over to God.

The Holy Spirit does that work, not your ability to shout another person down or be able to out -argue them.

Know how to rightly handle the word of God and let that weapon be the thing that pierces their heart.

As described in Hebrews, the word of God is a double -edged sword piercing to the heart through bone and marrow.

So be responsible to know how to rightly handle the word of truth, being prepared in any situation to give an answer for the hope that lies within you, but doing this with gentleness and respect.

First Peter 3 .15. So you have to know how to use the tools of our warfare, the weapon that we have been given.

You're not just handing it to some young pup and sending him out on the battlefield and he's just kind of waving it aimlessly around.

We need to be trained in knowing how to use this. And where do you get trained? First and foremost, the place that you get trained should be at your church.

Now maybe I'm saying that and somebody's listening to me and going, Brother Gabe, you don't understand my church. You don't understand my area.

There's nothing out there that is providing for a sound biblical gospel teaching.

I have to go to the internet to find such things. I've got to listen to pastors on YouTube or through podcasts if I'm going to be able to find the equipment that I need to fight these spiritual battles in this world.

You know what? That's great. In order to properly equip you for spiritual warfare, that's awesome that you are able to rely on such sound teachers that we find online.

It's a great resource that I utilize frequently every day. I'm coming back to the internet knowing those teachers that have taught me so wonderfully in the past and I can come to a sermon and continue to be fed and equipped in knowing how

I can equip my own congregation. So it is indeed a great resource. But don't think that because the teaching that I can find online is better than the teaching that I can find in my own local church means that you no longer have to attend your own local church because you weren't getting good teaching there anyway.

No, actually what should happen is you go take that great doctrinal truth that we have access to through this medium called the internet, be equipped in these things, and then take it to that local body that you think is immature in this, that you may be a benefit to them.

You are that part of the body that is helping to build the rest of the parts up in love. That's exactly the description of the church that we have in Ephesians chapter 4 verses 11 through 16.

Speaking the truth in love, we build each other up into the head who is

Christ. So the Holy Spirit has convicted your heart to desire and love sound doctrine.

That's good because all Christians should. We should be growing in doctrine and in a knowledge of the truth of God's word, multiple epistles that we have in the

New Testament instruct us in that, that we would be growing in the knowledge of God. Look at Paul's introduction to the

Colossians, for example. So the Holy Spirit has laid on your heart this desire for sound doctrine. Grow in it and then take what you learn to your church that you may help these be more equipped and grow in love as well.

And maybe you're thinking, hey, I'm doing the job my pastor should be doing. Well, your desire for sound doctrine may challenge him.

I came on staff at my church as a young pastor and I was ordained in my twenties.

I took over the teaching responsibilities at about 31. And one of the things that encouraged me to continue studying and know what to study was the questions that people would ask me.

And especially when I would have young men that would come in my church who love sound doctrine and they love the word and they love studying it in context and they would start asking me questions about certain theologies that I just not read very deeply into.

But it would challenge me to go back and study those things so that I might be able to answer those questions and properly shepherd those who are curious about such things.

So if you're reading and learning about this and you go and you ask your pastor, I hope that the

Lord has given him a heart that he might be convicted by what you're asking and realize that he doesn't have knowledge in that.

He might go back and study and know how to properly shepherd you. I'm concerned about that pastor that doesn't want any questions asked of him.

And I'm surprised at the number of people that will end up coming to my church saying at my previous church, we couldn't ask any questions.

We asked the pastor, he would shut down. He would just say, hey, you just need to trust me on this because he probably didn't know the answer.

That's the reason why he was responding that way. So hopefully you've got a guy who in the spirit loves correction, loves to be admonished, loves to learn, loves to grow in knowledge.

Proverbs is all about that. We need to love knowledge and love discipline.

So I hope that's your pastor and other members in your congregation as well. I want to caution you not to mistake.

Immaturity for not loving the word of God. So you're looking at people in your congregation who

I mean, maybe they they can even say that they've been Christians for years, but they don't have a firm or deep grasp on the

Bible. Maybe their theology is like a mile wide and an inch deep. You probably heard that expression used before.

But don't mistake that for they don't have the spirit of God at all. Their father is the devil, right?

Because they can't answer my questions. They don't understand what it is that I'm talking about. No, again, and I believe

I quoted this yesterday. I know Becky and I reference it a lot. But Romans 15 one, we who are mature have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, not to please ourselves.

You think also of Philippians chapter two, each of you should consider the needs of his of your neighbor ahead of your own needs.

Consider their needs ahead of your own. That we might have the mind of Christ is what Paul comes to again there in Philippians chapter two, five.

If we have the mind of Christ, we're considering one another's needs ahead of our own.

So you are growing in maturity. You must consider the need of your brother or sister in the Lord who is not as mature yet that you may know how to serve them as the different parts of the body are meant to serve the body.

Remember, the different spiritual gifts that we have been given are given to us for the purpose of building up the body so that it grows itself up in love.

If you see yourself as more mature than maybe even the rest of your church, well, there might need to be some humbling there.

You could possibly be in that cage stage, whether we're talking about Calvinism or not. Typically, that word cage stage or that term goes with Calvinism.

It can go with any kind of doctrine or theology. It can go with growing and knowledge that is puffing yourself up.

You've not yet learned to temper that and and humble yourself before the

Lord. If you are so proud that you're looking at everybody else in your church and saying, I'm more knowledgeable than all these people are, and that's an excuse for you to not go to church.

Well, that's pride. And you are not doing the job that God has given you this desire for.

And that's that you might equip others and help to build them up. So the rest of your church may grow in knowledge.

And I promise you this, as you desire that knowledge and you desire the deep truths of God and you start bringing it to this people who claim to be people of God, you're going to find those whose belief is not genuine.

Just as Jesus was challenging here in John eight. They said that they believed he pressed on them and said, if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.

Where what you're going to end up finding when you get deeper into doctrine and theology and and some of these deeper truths, you are going to find those who are not really abiding in the word of God.

And they're going to be retaliating with things like theology divides. We should be studying doctrine. We just need to love

Jesus. We just need to believe in the resurrection. And as you continue to press on growing in these things, there are people who are going to hate it and they're going to hate you and they're going to try to cause division.

But you've got to keep on keeping on. You've got to hold to the spirit for the

Lord is testing you even in these things, sanctifying you and growing you in holiness as you face these kinds of adversities out of love for the truth of God's word.

And so hold fast to the truth, desire that God's people would learn it. And as those who are genuine might be revealed, as Paul said to the

Corinthians, you are also going to find out who those are who are not genuine.

And they're going to end up falling away from the body. But you must love the truth and you must continue to grow

God's people in the truth. This is how any of us mature and how we grow in sanctification and holiness, because we love the truth and so grow in the word of Christ.

Those who do not love his word are not of God. They are of they're of their father, the devil.

But we must be very careful with how we use that term. And we must not immediately dismiss somebody as being of their father, the devil, just because we're disagreeing on some certain doctrinal points here.

Be very careful with that. Jesus can say that immediately. And he can say that of these people who are there in front of him because he knows the condition of their hearts.

He knows where they're at. He is the one who searches mind and heart and will give to each one according to their works, as it says in Revelation.

So Jesus can say that. But we must be very careful. There may be times and places, even when you're having a conversation with somebody that you might say to them as a warning that if you hate this word that is being shared with you, which isn't mine, it comes from God.

It is from his word, the Bible. You can go to the Bible and you can test it. If you hate this word, you may be of your father, the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires.

The devil is a murderer. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.

When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

That's the rest of verse 44. And understand the context here. Jesus is talking to a people that have wanted to kill him because they believed that when he said that he was the son of God, he was claiming to be

God. See, even Jesus enemies understood that. They understood that when he said to be from the father, when he called

God his father, when he referred to himself as the son of man or the son of God, they knew that he was claiming to be

God and they hated him for it because they thought this was blasphemy. They didn't actually believe he was God. But if they knew the father, then they would know that Jesus is

God and he was sent from the father and they would not hate him for these words, but they would love him for these words and they would follow him and they would be set free and they would have eternal life for who the son sets free will be free indeed, as Jesus said in verse 36.

So those who do not love God and do not understand his word are of the devil and your will is to do your father's desires.

He was a murderer from the beginning. Now, maybe as we're as we're talking about somebody else who hates the word of God, you just as these

Jews here wanted to put Jesus to death for what they thought was blasphemy, even though that may not be in their heart because Jesus is not standing right there in front of in front of them.

Nevertheless, if you believe lies, you are believing something that leads to death.

If you spread lies that are contrary to the saving truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, then you're spreading death.

You're condemning people. They will be destroyed if they believe those lies. So anyone that speaks contrary to the word of God is just as Satan, a murderer, a speaker of lies, which leads to death instead of life.

So once again, my friends out of love for God and his word and out of love for others and wanting to see them come away from lies, come to know the truth and be saved.

We must love the word of God. We do this out of our love for God and out of love for other people.

It's disingenuous and uncaring and uncompassionate toward others to not love the word of God, because if you don't have this truth, right, how will you be able to prepare a person for the day of judgment?

We know the truth by what is said in God's word. So love this word, grow in it, and help others to grow in it as well.

Amen. You've been listening to When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Gabe will be going through a

New Testament study. Then on Thursday, we look at an Old Testament book. On Friday, we take questions from the listeners and viewers.